36: Chapter 36 Return

Hearing this, the Foundation Establishment Elder frowned slightly and said indifferently, "The trial has ended, and some Loose Cultivators have already left on their own. I have inspected them and found nothing amiss. You all wait here."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ya and Senior Brother Li could only suppress their impatience. They stood to the side, their sharp gazes scanning every Loose Cultivator who emerged afterward.

However, until the light gate of the Secret Realm completely closed and the last Disciple walked out, they never saw that familiar figure.

"He... he must have left long ago..." Senior Brother Li's face turned ashen as he muttered to himself.

Lu Ya's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He slammed a fist into a nearby rock and said through gritted teeth, "Investigate! Investigate for me! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find this Loose Cultivator for me!"

Su Chengyuan had no idea that he had just narrowly avoided his pursuers.

Following the principle of utmost caution, he vanished into the mountains and forests, changed his appearance once again, and then unhurriedly made his way toward Qinghe Prefecture City.

After strolling around the market on the outskirts of the Prefecture City and selling some insignificant Yao Beast Materials to create the appearance of a Loose Cultivator who had gained a little, he set off once more.

Half a month later, the night was as dark as ink.

In the small courtyard of the Su Family of Qingyang Town, under that old locust tree, a figure appeared quietly and pushed open the familiar door.

Inside the room, the lights were bright. Su Cheng sat at the table, flipping through an old book.

Sensing something, he looked up and saw the travel-worn but bright-eyed figure at the door.

Su Chengyuan also saw his son under the lamp at the table, his posture already as upright as a pine tree.

The father and son's eyes met; everything was understood without words.

"Father, you're back."

"Yes, Chenger, I'm back." Su Chengyuan's voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue, but more than that, it held a sense of peace after completing a task.

The two sat down in the room. Without much small talk, Su Chengyuan briefly recounted his experiences in Meteorite Ravine.

He omitted the death-defying details, focusing only on Lu Ya's strength, the Qingxuan Sect's overbearing nature, and his decisiveness in snatching food from the tiger's mouth at the end.

Even with such an understated narration, Su Cheng could sense the heart-pounding danger within.

When his father mentioned taking a direct hit from Lu Ya's sword, which nearly destroyed the black tortoise shield, his fingertips couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"You've worked hard, Father," Su Cheng said sincerely.

He knew the pressure his father bore was far greater than his own, as he cultivated safely in the rear.

Su Chengyuan waved his hand and carefully took two jade boxes out of his Storage Pouch, placing them on the table.

"Fortunately, I did not fail my mission."

Su Cheng opened the jade boxes, and a burst of pure medicinal fragrance wafted toward him.

In the left jade box was the purple monkey flower, shrouded in purple mist;

in the right jade box was the nine-leaf dragon ganoderma grass, which glowed with a crimson radiance.

Two of the three main ingredients for the foundation establishment pill had been obtained.

Even with Su Cheng's Heart-Nature, his breathing couldn't help but quicken slightly upon seeing these two Spirit Medicines.

"After this, the Qingxuan Sect will likely investigate a Tenth Level of Qi Refining Loose Cultivator wearing a bamboo hat," Su Cheng analyzed calmly, forcing himself to settle his emotions. "Father, you must not go out again for a while. It's the perfect time to stay home and consolidate your cultivation."

"I understand." Su Chengyuan nodded; he was not someone who didn't know the gravity of the situation. "But what about the final main ingredient, the 'rootless fruit'? According to the 'Know-It-All' in the Prefecture City, this item won't even be sold on the open market there."

"The rootless fruit is hard to find in the Prefecture City, but the Tiangang Sect might have it," a sharp glint flashed in Su Cheng's eyes. "Although it's a main ingredient for the foundation establishment pill, when used alone, it's also very useful for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to stabilize their Dao Heart and purify their spiritual power. The Sect must have some in stock."

"We don't need all three main ingredients to appear together. If only one appears, surely no one will associate it with the foundation establishment pill."

He looked at his father. "So, I'll have to trouble you to make another trip for this. But this time, it's not a risk; you'll just be delivering a letter and some items to the Tiangang Sect."

Su Chengyuan was startled, then immediately understood his son's meaning.

"I see. When do I leave?"

"No rush." Su Cheng took four jade vials from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the table. "These are the Medicinal Pills I've refined over the past two months."

Su Chengyuan picked up one of the vials and uncorked it. A fierce and overbearing medicinal aura rushed out, and the pill's surface actually had three clear patterns.

"Is this... a body tempering pill? And of such high quality?"

"They are top-grade body tempering pills and top-grade qi recovery pills," Su Cheng explained. "Father, you've been traveling and fighting, which consumes a lot of spiritual power. A qi recovery pill can save your life at a critical moment. The body tempering pill will strengthen your Physical Body, giving you more confidence in battle. I've refined a total of one hundred pills, fifty of each type."

Su Cheng distributed the pills one by one. "Take twenty of each, the body tempering pills and qi recovery pills, to my sister. Now that she's in the Sect, the higher her cultivation, the more she'll attract attention. Her combat ability must keep up. These pills are enough to make her invincible among those of the same rank."

"As for the rest, Father, you keep twenty of each as well, just in case."

Finally, Su Cheng gathered the remaining twenty pills in front of him. "I'll keep ten body tempering pills and ten qi recovery pills; that's enough for me."

Having done all this, Su Cheng continued, "My cultivation has also reached the Early Stage of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, and the spiritual power in my Dantian is abundant. I plan to wait until you and my sister have both successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and the Family has no more worries. Then, I will also attempt Foundation Establishment and go out for experience. At that time, with the world so vast, it will be our time to truly show our capabilities."

Looking at his son, who had arranged everything so methodically, Su Chengyuan felt both proud and a bit amused.

As a father, he seemed to have truly become his son's most capable "manager" and "Guard."

"Alright, I'll do as you say." Su Chengyuan put away the pills, a surge of heroic spirit rising in his heart.

During this time, the atmosphere within the Su Family had indeed improved significantly.

After becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, Su Yunling had not forgotten the Family. She had someone secretly send back a portion of the monthly allowance provided by the Sect.

Though it wasn't much, for the cash-strapped Su Family, it was like providing charcoal in the snow.

With resources available, the clansmen's enthusiasm for cultivation soared. Especially the young clansmen with average Aptitude, they all put in their best effort, and their cultivation improved.

The entire Family presented a scene of prosperity.

The father and son discussed details for a long time. It wasn't until dawn that Su Chengyuan quietly set off, once again embarking on the road to the Tiangang Sect.

...

Tiangang Sect, Inner Sect Disciple area.

Outside Su Yunling's Immortal Cave, the light of the Formation flickered.

Chen Zifan, who had once hounded her relentlessly, had not appeared again since being rejected last time.

This allowed Su Yunling to truly breathe a sigh of relief and focus more peacefully on her cultivation.

One day, the communication talisman outside the Immortal Cave lit up; it was a message from her father, Su Chengyuan.

Overjoyed, Su Yunling quickly opened the Restriction and met her travel-worn father in a secluded valley outside the Sect.

"Father, why are you here?"